Description

Investigator(s):  Dr Kristen Reyher, Alison Bard

The project aimed to highlight the challenges faced by herd health advisors and whether Motivational Interviewing (MI), an evidence-based communication tool developed in human medicine, could be used to facilitate better herd health management.

Research findings suggest the MI methodology meets a skills gap in current veterinary communication and meets the needs of both vets and farmers (ultimately benefitting herd health management). A training package was developed as a result; these training have shown that vets can learn and apply MI within herd health consultations and result in more positive farmer responses. In conclusion, MI is a tool which offers the potential to enhance veterinary communication with clients, not just within the context of herd health management but in wider veterinary services.

Watch a presentation by the researchers on this project at the 2017 AWF Discussion Forum here

Read published papers and articles from this research project:  

• The future of veterinary communication: Partnership or persuasion? A qualitative investigation of veterinary communication in the pursuit of client behaviour change

• To change or not to change? Veterinarian and farmer perceptions of relational factors influencing the enactment of veterinary advice on dairy farms in the United Kingdom

Further research as a result of this project:

• Training in motivational interviewing improves cattle veterinarians’ communication skills for herd health management

 

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